Hello everyone. While I have been on/off again on this website I have become obsessed with music. And since I noticed that the last thread essentially died a while ago I figured 'why not'? My tastes have changed greatly, back in 2004 all I listened to was Post-Hardcore music like Glassjaw, Thrice, etc. Ever since then I have picked up the guitar and branched out to all kinds of unique and fantastic music (beyond just rock and metal even). So here I share with you some of my favorite Rock/Metal bands, most underrated and of course overrated:

Tool - Both Lateralus and Aenima are a near flawless combination of 90s hard rock with 70s progressive rock. Danny Carey's almost tribal drumming style shows a lot of sheer technicality, but that technicality is tempered and controlled so that he doesn't play anything that doesn't fit with what the rest of the band is doing. Maynard James Keenan is the ideal hard rock vocalist in my opinion and can hold notes for a very long time. Both the guitar and bass riffs are engraved in my brain. I could go on and on.

Opeth - Never have I heard a band that could produced the heaviest music I've heard with the most beautiful, sometimes in the same song. Mikael Akerfeldt's vocal range is beyond human and his guitar playing incorporates atypical chords, scales and structures. I have a hard time decided which album I like the most; I say it is a toss-up between Still Life and Ghost Reveries although most would say Blackwater Park.

Underrated

Cynic - This is a recent find of mine. I saw that Traced In Air was metal record of the year all over the net, and yet I couldn't find it anywhere. I was intriqued because they have only made two albums that were 15 years apart. So I ordered it off of Amazon and I was amazed, then I got into Focus which was just as good. I am not sure how to descripe their music, so I suggest you look for yourself.

Anathema - This band went from being a Doom metal band in the early 90s to a sound that sounds like a Roger Waters led Pink Floyd, only darker. Get Judgement, you won't be disappointed.

Dredg - El Cielo is a masterpiece, a concept album based on sleep paralysis. Unusual instrumentation and soaring vocals are what make this album, not to mention that all the songs were produced seperately, so each song has a distinct flair. Think of them as an Alt/Art rock equivalent to Tool.

Abstract

Godspeed You! Black Emperor's F# A# * - This is the soundtrack to the end of the world. The perfect album for a long road trip by yourself. My favorite post-rock album by a mile.

Ulver's Bergatt - A unusual combination of Norwegian black metal and folk music. If you can get past the foreign language then you will enjoy it.

Ophaned Land's Mabool - Progressive metal mixed with female vocalists, middle eastern instruments like the Oud, with vocals sung in English, Hebrew, Arabic, Yemenite and Latin, and songs that progress a story... You can't make this stuff up.

Overrated

Radiohead - While I thought that The Bends, Ok Computer and In Rainbows were good (not great) albums, I think they have earned far too many accolades. Kid A/Amnesiac are an impressive divergence from popular music, but compared to other progressive rock albums are fairly boring. And give me Jeff Buckley's Grace and Dredg's El Cielo over Ok Computer any day. And the thing that kills it for me is Thom Yorke's slurred, mostly unintelligble "singing."

Metallica - I really liked them, but once I delved more into metal I liked them a lot less. I found bands that had better lyrics, better vocalists, faster guitars, talented drummers, etc. Ditch Metallica, get into Nevermore and you won't regret it.

That is my say, but really anything that has a guitar in it is up for discussion from here on out.

System of a down Toxicity is to this day the most influential Cd ive ever had the pleasure of listening to. System has been classified as Nu-metal as of late, but I still consider them to be metal. Their guitar is all very simple but Daron really makes it work, and the drumming is just out standing.

Metallica- I might agree with your statement, they may be a little overrated. However my first Cd was AJFA.... and Blackened took me and threw me into a path of music that ive stayed with since I can remeber. Master of Puppets was easily their best Cd, and although most people would rank Ride the Lightning next, I'd personally put kill'em all is above it. It dosent surprise me that they decided to try something different with the Black album which I feel is still a good rock CD, its just wasnt the Metallica many were accustomed to, and for many unfortunately, different automatically means bad. Their later stuff is crap, and I hate Lars.

Always a good listen:

Children of Bodom- Ive yet to hear alot of their new stuff but a friend assured me blood drunk was a good song. Living dead beat is my favorite song from these guys, and bodom beach terror offers some pretty creepy stuff towards the end of that song. Very dark history to these guys.

In Flames- Trigger. Most people are going to throw out Take this life from guitar hero or what not, but Trigger just gets my blood pumping everytime I hear it, and Dead end is just an amazing piece of music. Leeches is a short one, but short and sweet always works for me.

Between the Buried and Me- Its really too bad that the Rock band/ Guitar hero have shunned alot of great songs. My friend and I listen to their CD everytime we go for a long car ride. Its like one continous song that is just flat out amazing. Ill look at the track list one minute, and then next time i look up itll be four songs ahead and you couldnt even tell the difference. I remeber a friend commenting on Prequel to the Sequel, saying how 8 mins is too long for a song, too bad he wasnt aware its actually somewhere around 14 mins long.

Black Dahlia Murder- Nocturnal live by these guys is just amazing. With some of the riffs these guys come up with, its amazing that they get it to sound just as good on stage, a sign of a truly great band.

Metal core: Kind of become a hated genere and frowned upon, but there are some pretty good bands.

All that Remains- A friend of mine sent me a few of their songs, and what stood out the most for me was the drumming. They do a great job with the vocals as well.

A7X- I used to really really like these guys. Sounding the seventh Trumpet was a good start, and Waking the Fallen is still one of my fav CDs. City of Evil sadly didnt live up to expectations, and their new CD was better imo, but still this band has yet to live up to the standards of their sophmore effort, yet continue to flourish.

Bullet For my Valentine- Included them because they impressed me live, sound wayyyy to emo for me, but if they continue to work and make their work sound more like their new stuff their on a smart road.

Modern:

RATM- Morrello is one of the most creative guitarists ive ever seen, and the infusion with the whole rap/metal genre had never sounded better. Keep your fingers crossed they decide to put out a new CD which they keep denying :(

Overrated:

AC/DC- I just had to include them even tho this thread dosent really belong to them. I appreciate what they did for music, yet ive never understood why these guys get all the love they recieve. Vocals are horrible, and the guitar has never impressed me. Not really a reason why I hate them but selling their new Cd exclusively at Walmart really bothered me. I had to put this in here just to vent about how much I hate this band.

I play a Schecter c-1 hellraiser Fr, been playing for about a year now. I was originally a drummer, tried guitar, then went to Bassist, gave bassist to a friend so we could start a band and went back to studying guitar. I also dabble with Sax, and am hoping to get into the Musicions institute of LA in two-three years.

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Originally Posted by WMD

Jesse realizing Walt was Santa Claus could really shake things up.

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Originally Posted by gpngc

I don't know how old you are, but if you can get to 24/25 without getting arrested or killed, you've done well for yourself lol.

Rise against is a ***** band for girls that have never been metal, ever. Which was the reason for my ummmmmm what, because this isnt the I wear black eye liner and swing life away thread.

Dude...thats so naive of you to say. First off, the fact that music itself is incredibly subjective, and if he wants to listen to Rise Against, let him enjoy it. In fact, maybe if you didnt have such a closed mind and werent so easily influenced by others around you and the different images presented and associated with certain bands, you could open up your mind and try listening to some new music. Rise Against may not be a technically incredible band like some of the other bands that have been mentioned, but they produce good music with a good political message, and not to mention, they are all awesome guys. I met Tim McIlrath in a basement party a while back, and he was so chill and not at all like some of the prima donnas you see in the music industry nowadays. For you to sit here and say that his taste in music is narrow minded and ignorant. Wake up man.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Goosemahn

The APS is strong in this one.

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Originally Posted by killxswitch

Tears for Fears is better than whatever it is you happen to be thinking about right now.

Dude...thats so naive of you to say. First off, the fact that music itself is incredibly subjective, and if he wants to listen to Rise Against, let him enjoy it. In fact, maybe if you didnt have such a closed mind and werent so easily influenced by others around you and the different images presented and associated with certain bands, you could open up your mind and try listening to some new music. Rise Against may not be a technically incredible band like some of the other bands that have been mentioned, but they produce good music with a good political message, and not to mention, they are all awesome guys. I met Tim McIlrath in a basement party a while back, and he was so chill and not at all like some of the prima donnas you see in the music industry nowadays. For you to sit here and say that his taste in music is narrow minded and ignorant. Wake up man.

I agree that last post was uncalled for, a **** move on my part. Im used to kids wearing hot topic clothes try and tell me good charolette and Panic at the disco are hard core, so I get a little defensive about stuff like that. And I actually tend to keep a very open mind with things, but when it comes to emo bands and the likes, I immediately get up in arms.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by WMD

Jesse realizing Walt was Santa Claus could really shake things up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpngc

I don't know how old you are, but if you can get to 24/25 without getting arrested or killed, you've done well for yourself lol.

I play a Schecter c-1 hellraiser Fr, been playing for about a year now. I was originally a drummer, tried guitar, then went to Bassist, gave bassist to a friend so we could start a band and went back to studying guitar. I also dabble with Sax, and am hoping to get into the Musicions institute of LA in two-three years.

This is my guitar:

I am saving up to get a half-stack, because right now my amp sucks. I use 11-50 strings, tuned to C standard (C, F, Bb, Eb, G, C). I really love playing neo-classical metal.

I am saving up to get a half-stack, because right now my amp sucks. I use 11-50 strings, tuned to C standard (C, F, Bb, Eb, G, C). I really love playing neo-classical metal.

Tuning in C and C# is what my band goes with now, we started with Drop D. Yeah im in need of a new amp as well, but im being really picky about which ones i go with, (plus im broke right now). You in any bands shiv?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by WMD

Jesse realizing Walt was Santa Claus could really shake things up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpngc

I don't know how old you are, but if you can get to 24/25 without getting arrested or killed, you've done well for yourself lol.

Favorites
My favorite Opeth album is a toss up between Deliverance and Ghost Reveries, however, all of their albums are incredible.Recommended Songs: The Lotus Eater, Bleak, The Baying of the Hounds, Reverie/Harlequin Forest

Between the Buried and Me are one of my favorite bands to listen to due to their technicality. Recommended Songs: Mordecai, Selkies: The Endless Obsession, All Bodies, Sun of Nothing

Isis was a band I started listening to several years ago and they have gradually progressed into being of my favorite. The music is beautifully complex and they keep getting better with every album.Recommended Songs: Wills Dissolve, Wrists of Kings, Not in Rivers but in Drops, Syndic Calls

Agalloch mixes folk tunes, thrash and progressive metal with dark, brooding vocals that mixes together amazingly well.Recommended Songs: As Embers Dress The Sky, A Desolation Song, Not Unlike The Waves

Acid Bath can best be described I guess by calling it swamp metal. They blend so many styles together and were one of the bands that really got me into metal. Recommended Songs: The Blue, God Machine, Toubabo Koomi, Grave Flower

Intronaut is another band I got into around the time of Isis. Very complex, bass-driven progressive metal with a dual-vocal attack. Very groove laden and technical.Recommended Songs: Fragments of Character, They (As In Them), Teledildonics, Any Port

Meshuggah is another great import from Sweden. Some of the finest progressive metal out there and insanely brutal. One of my favorites.Recommended songs: I, Combustion, Dehumanization, Rational Gaze

Mastodon. Can't go wrong with progressive Southern metal, especially when they make a concept album around Moby Dick.Recommended Songs: Seabeast, March of the Fire Ants, Sleeping Giant, This Mortal Coil

Always A Good ListenGlass Casket Brutal speed/grind metal that has two members of BTBAM in its ranks. Recommended Songs: Pencil Lead Syringe, Post Traumatic Death

Every Time I Die Just a fun band to listen to and you can feel the energy and excitement. Not for everyone but a particularly fond band of mine.Recommended Songs: Ebolarama, The New Black, Buffalo Gals, L'Astronaut

Clutch A fun, Southern, bluesy band that puts on a hell of a live show. Recommended Songs: Spacegrass, Mr. Shiny Cadillacness, Texan Book of the Dead, Mice and Gods

Tool What can be said about Tool that hasn't already been said?Recommended Songs: The Pot, Opiate, Flood, Vicarious

I like to think of myself as a Metal Connoisseur. Its practically the only genre i listen too. I have 300+ Albums in my collection and 95% are not part of today's terrible music scene and there for are not played on the radio

I like to think of myself as a Metal Connoisseur. Its practically the only genre i listen too. I have 300+ Albums in my collection and 95% are not part of today's terrible music scene and there for are not played on the radio

See I hate that, I always look for more metal bands, but always have trouble finding new stuff because of how little the radio plays the genre. I put Metal genre in my Pandora app on my iphone and the first song was Breaking Benjamin.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by WMD

Jesse realizing Walt was Santa Claus could really shake things up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpngc

I don't know how old you are, but if you can get to 24/25 without getting arrested or killed, you've done well for yourself lol.

See I hate that, I always look for more metal bands, but always have trouble finding new stuff because of how little the radio plays the genre. I put Metal genre in my Pandora app on my iphone and the first song was Breaking Benjamin.

Give me a list of bands/ types you like ill hook you up with some great ones.